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Many times, we believe that we do not have enough, and we wonder how is it that our next dollar is going to stretch; these are the very thoughts that limit us and keep us in a state of lack, even without us realising. Understand that there are fundamental principles in The Bible and when acted on, will cause us to live a successful life, the life that we desire.

We live in a time that demands us to elevate our thinking, and one such thinking is that our material acquisitions determine our success—the car, the huge house, the community we reside in, our job titles. Should Christians live by that truth, or is our existence and how we must live not deeper? Shouldn’t it be more, e.g. how we sleep at night, the state of our health, are we impacting others, do we have peace, ultimately, how are we experiencing life?

Now let me be clear, my viewpoint of success is mine; it is a suggestion to you because I would never force how I feel about success on anyone, simply because each of us must come to our own conclusion. And so if you believe success to be the material things, then, by all means, do what you have to do, but look at the evidence around us—people who are rich in material things and yet they are miserable, commit suicide, get hooked on drugs as an escape and so on. This leads me to conclude that there is much more to this matter of living successfully. 

The Bible has guidelines that enable Christians to have their very own rich and vibrant experience of what life is really about. The material things are the way of the world, and we are not of this world, even though we have to live in this world. Christians cannot go by what this world demands, we must adhere to our world—the spiritual world, and what it dictates. 

Everything we need to know about true Christian living can be had by reading our bibles. In 2 Corinthians, chapter 9, verses 6 through 14, says, 

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.  As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.” Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us, your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.  This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you, their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”

There are many times when we make the excuse that we do not have enough to give. And also, when we say, how can a Christian live a life and they are suffering. What a great passage of scripture found in 2 Corinthians 9:6-14 to answer our questions. 

Let us focus first on the section that says ‘God can bless us abundantly so that in all things, at all times, we have all that we need, and we will abound in every good work’. Can’t you see, we will be able to help others and live a life that others can see success demonstrated.

And then…

“This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else” verses 12-13. God gets the glory!

The Bible encourages us to be kind and to be giving and to take care of one another, James 1:27 The Christian who is pure and without fault, from God the Father’s point of view, is the one who takes care of orphans and widows, and who remains true to the Lord.

If we are always holding on to the little that we have or not extending ourselves to others, how can we have more? Your purse or wallet shows $100 and you cannot see how it will stretch to pay your bills, buy food… listen, another aspect of successful Christian Living is trusting in what God says and doing what he says without fail. So, you only have $100, what will you do? Matthew 6:33-34, “and he will give them to you if you give him first place in your life and live as he wants you to. “So don’t be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too”. What will you do? The answer—live trusting God; if you have a $100, put God first, give the $10, and expect that the $90 will suffice and reflect the miracle similar to the feeding of the 5000. Sounds like a fantasy huh, give the 10% as difficult as it might be and trust that the $90 will take care of everything else. Our Christian living is about, faith, trust, and belief in what we cannot see; how can I be a Christian and not trust my heavenly Father? 

Read the Bible and understand the principles given to us; did you know that when we tithe, there is a promise of provision and protection. We tend to forget about the protection part. Protection over our health, our finances, our loved ones, and from people intent on harming us; God is not a man, He cannot lie, His words cannot return to Him void. Why would he give us these guidelines, principles, promises, and truths; it is because He loves and cares for us, and He wants us to have the best experience possible on this Earth. There are conditions in his promises and attached to those conditions are requirements that we must fulfill to reap the blessings and favour that we need to live successfully. We must do something. It is a part of faith-living. 

We must understand who God is to us and who we are to him; we can eliminate lack by simply doing what God has instructed us to do, we can eliminate thoughts such as “I don’t have enough” and replace those thoughts with “God can bless me abundantly so that in all things at all times I have all that I need, then I will abound in every good work”. And so if I see a sister that needs $500, I will not have to overthink it because I am in a position to give freely and to give easily, because God blesses me so I can give. 

I don’t know about you, but I am always praying, God, please put me in a position to bless others because I know God’s will for my life is not just about me. It is taking others along with me and blessing others as much as I have been blessed. It is about being an example, showcasing God’s good works within me, so He gets the Glory, which is the absolute for me. And so, I encourage us to remember that whatever we sow is what we will reap, so sow generously and reap generously. Do it willingly and cheerfully, so that God will bless you abundantly and you will have all that you need and abound in all good things.